Django Fundamentals and Environment Setup

45 min

Django is a high-level Python web framework that encourages rapid development and clean, pragmatic design. Created in 2005, it follows the MVT (Model-View-Template) architecture pattern, which separates concerns into models (data), views (logic), and templates (presentation). This architecture makes Django applications maintainable and scalable.

Django's philosophy emphasizes 'Don't Repeat Yourself' (DRY) and 'Explicit is better than implicit', making it ideal for building maintainable web applications. The framework includes many built-in features like authentication, admin interface, and ORM, reducing the need for third-party libraries and boilerplate code.

Django is widely used by companies like Instagram, Mozilla, and Pinterest for its robustness, security features, and extensive ecosystem. It includes built-in protection against common security vulnerabilities like SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and cross-site request forgery (CSRF).

Setting up a proper Django development environment includes virtual environments, proper project structure, and understanding Django's project vs app architecture. A Django project contains one or more apps, where each app is a self-contained module with its own models, views, templates, and URLs. This modular approach enables code reusability and better organization.

Django's development server provides automatic reloading, making development fast and efficient. The framework includes a powerful ORM that abstracts database operations, allowing you to work with databases using Python code instead of SQL. Understanding these core concepts is essential for productive Django development.

Modern Django development uses environment variables for configuration, follows PEP 8 style guidelines, and leverages Django's extensive middleware system for cross-cutting concerns. Setting up proper project structure from the beginning saves time and prevents technical debt.

Key Concepts

Django follows MVT (Model-View-Template) architecture pattern.
Projects contain multiple apps, each with its own functionality.
Virtual environments isolate project dependencies.
Django includes built-in admin interface and authentication.
ORM allows database operations using Python instead of SQL.

Learning Objectives

Master

Setting up Django development environment with virtual environments
Creating Django projects and apps with proper structure
Understanding Django's project vs app architecture
Configuring Django settings for development

Develop

Understanding web framework architecture
Following Django best practices and conventions
Setting up maintainable project structures

Tips

Always use virtual environments to isolate Django project dependencies.
Follow Django's naming conventions for projects and apps (lowercase, underscores).
Use environment variables for sensitive settings (SECRET_KEY, database credentials).
Keep settings.py organized by splitting into base, development, and production settings.

Common Pitfalls

Not using virtual environments, causing dependency conflicts between projects.
Confusing Django projects with apps—projects are containers, apps are modules.
Hardcoding sensitive information in settings.py instead of using environment variables.
Not running migrations after model changes, causing database schema mismatches.

Summary

Django is a high-level Python web framework following MVT architecture.
Projects contain apps, each with models, views, templates, and URLs.
Virtual environments are essential for dependency management.
Django includes many built-in features reducing boilerplate code.

Exercise

Create your first Django project with proper structure, create a virtual environment, and set up the basic project configuration.

# Create and activate virtual environment
python -m venv django_env
source django_env/bin/activate  # On Windows: django_env\Scripts\activate

# Install Django
pip install django

# Create Django project
django-admin startproject myproject
cd myproject

# Create first app
python manage.py startapp myapp

# Add app to INSTALLED_APPS in settings.py
INSTALLED_APPS = [
    'django.contrib.admin',
    'django.contrib.auth',
    'django.contrib.contenttypes',
    'django.contrib.sessions',
    'django.contrib.messages',
    'django.contrib.staticfiles',
    'myapp',  # Add your app here
]

# Run migrations
python manage.py migrate

# Create superuser
python manage.py createsuperuser

# Run development server
python manage.py runserver

Exercise Tips

Use python-dotenv to manage environment variables: pip install python-dotenv.
Create a requirements.txt file: pip freeze > requirements.txt.
Set up a .gitignore file to exclude virtual environment and sensitive files.
Configure ALLOWED_HOSTS in settings.py for production deployment.

Django Fundamentals and Environment Setup